Drug-Nutrient Interrelationships

As a result of intense interest, supported by many clinical examples, a large body of knowledge concerning the interactions of drugs is being assembled which has very practical impacts on patient care. In part, such information has been abetted by the rapidly evolving methodology utilized by the clinical pharmacologist in studies on drug absorption, metabolism, and excretion. It has also received impetus from the increasing appreciation of the frequency of iatrogenically, drug-induced diseases in clinical practice. Thus, when one considers the essentiality of dietary nutrients for the innumerable and complex physiologic functions of the body, in both the healthy and the diseased state, including those specifically related to drug metabolism, it is not surprising that considerable interest has developed in drug-nutrient interrelationships. This has been evidenced by several recent symposia, review articles, and books (Miller, 1976; Roe, 1976; Hartshorn, 1977; Hathcock and Coon, 1978).